The photos show the uniformed soldiers, some in groups and others flying solo, as they train to prepare for emergencies during harsh winter conditions. The most dramatic of the images includes a shot taken mid-flight in an F-16 aircraft. Another image shows one of soldiers wearing a gas mask during a chemical warfare drill, while some of the more relaxed shots feature military personnel with canine companions and in smiling group shots.

"I think it is a good way to show that the soldiers in both the Norwegian armed forces and our allies are people like everybody else," Fredrik Tandberg, a public affairs officer for the Norwegian armed forces (and the one who came up with the idea), told Mashable. "People often have stereotypical thoughts of soldiers — by taking the photos themselves, it shows what [the soldiers] want to show."

Since the soldiers aren't permitted to carry cell phones, employees in the Norwegian military's communications department lent their own devices to the cause. One exception was the photo in the F-16 aircraft, which a fighter pilot took using a camera that is always carried on patrols.

More than 100 photos were then sent to Tandberg, who put 58 of the best images on the armed forces' Facebook page. Tandberg believes that part of the success of the project is due to the fact that all of the images were published at the same time.

Ellen Degeneres' star-studded Oscars selfie inspired the endeavor, as did the one taken by a Danish fighter pilot earlier this month. Tandberg's initial task, set forth by his boss, was to simply make something go viral.

"I wanted to make a selfie that could beat the Danish fighter pilot," says Tandberg. "I hoped this would be a hit in Norway, and I hoped it would spread through social media, but I didn't dream of it spreading like it [has]. I am a bit surprised."

Approximately 16,000 soldiers from 16 countries (including Norway) participated in the Cold Response exercise over a two-week period, which ended Friday. The exercise is designed to get the soldiers accustomed to working in brutal winter weather conditions.

Other popular selfies that have surfaced recently include one that former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell took as a teenager, and a shot of President Obama with TV personality Bill Nye and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Soldier Selfies

A Norwegian fighter pilot snapped a selfie in an F-16 aircraft. The photo has garnered more than 1,000 likes on Facebook so far.

Image: RTV/Norwegian Armed Forces

Frigid temperatures didn't do much to deter the selfies.

Image: RTV/Norwegian Armed Forces

A Norwegian lieutenant sneaked a shot on the bridge of the KNM Thor Heyderdahl.

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